Keep your joints fluid and flexible with regular exercise and stretching, which will also really help if you have arthritis. Katy Sunnassee shares her full-body stretch routine that can be done anytime, anywhere
Words: Katy Sunnassee | Images: Shutterstock
When it comes to physical health and fitness, much emphasis goes on improving muscle mass or cardio function. And while weight training and aerobic exercises are hugely important, there’s a less talked about aspect of fitness that tends to get neglected: flexibility.
Unless you’re devoted to yoga or Pilates, it’s likely you may not consider stretching that important, or, if you do, it’s an afterthought at the end of a run or long gym session – perhaps a cool down with a few half-hearted calf or hamstring stretches. But to be in your best possible condition – and that means having full range of motion in all your joints – stretching is essential.
‘A lot of people neglect stretching as it can seem boring – after all, you don’t feel as if you’re “doing” much if you’re standing still,’ says Nolan Sunnassee, a strength and conditioning coach from Essex (evo-fit.co.uk).
However, to not stretch is to miss out on a whole host of benefits, including reducing any stiffness the day after a workout.
‘Stretching not only helps your body recover from exercise, it can also help prevent you getting delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), repetitive strain injury (RSI), and muscular imbalances from poor posture or overworking one set of muscles too much,’ says Nolan.
And if you have arthritis, especially the rheumatoid variety, those last benefits are most important.
‘Arthritis is inflammation. If you also become inflexible, your body then finds it more difficult to remove any inflammation in that area,’ explains Nolan. ‘However, when you stretch and elongate your muscles, you allow for better blood flow and nerve conductivity in your body, which helps remove inflammation.’
Incorporate the following five stretches into your daily routine to feel springier and more supple in no time!
5 simple stretches
These gentle moves will help mobilise your joints and can be done at home with no or very little equipment. ‘Always do a brisk march on the spot for a few minutes before any static stretches, to avoid pulling a muscle,’ says Nolan.
Spine twist
If your back often gets tight and locked up from too much sitting, gently stretch it out with this move:
- Sit on the floor with your right leg bent, heel towards your bum, and the left one bent and crossed over it, so your left foot is flat on the floor, crossed over the right thigh.
- Turn your upper body towards your left leg and hook your right arm over your left knee, so you can gently lever yourself round.
- Sit up nice and tall, and if you can, push your right arm against your left leg to increase the spinal twist.
- Turn your head and shoulders towards the left too, so you’re looking behind you (or as far round as you can go).
- Hold for 30 seconds then repeat on the other leg.
- Modification: To make a deeper stretch, lay on your back and let your left knee fall out toward the mat, keeping the other leg straight on the ground. Rotate your head to the right. You may not be able to get the left knee down onto the floor – don’t force it but relax into it. Repeat on the other side.
Pec stretch
Poor posture from too much sitting, driving or any forward-leaning position, causes your shoulders to round, ending up in a hunched position. ‘This leads to long and weak mid-lower trapezius muscles across your back, and short, tight pectoral muscles across your chest,’ says Nolan. Help prevent this by stretching your biceps and pecs from three angles:
- Stand facing a wall and turn about 60 degrees away from it. Or hold the handles of a TRX or pully machine in the gym.
- Put the hand that’s closest onto the wall and turn away from it. If in the gym, hold both handles and lean forward and away from them, so you feel the stretch across your chest, shoulders and biceps. Hold for about 30 seconds each side or in total for both arms.
- Try moving your hands up and down so you change the angle. Hold for 30 seconds.
Hamstring stretch
‘Most people are tight in their hamstrings as we all sit a lot, so this benefits everyone,’ says Nolan.
- Standing with feet parallel and hip-width apart, hinge forward from your hips and reach out in front of you until you feel the stretch down the backs of your legs in your hamstrings.
- Try touching the floor if you can and holding for 30 seconds.
- Modification: If you don’t want to lean forward, you can put one leg onto a Swiss ball or a step and hinge forward stretching over that one leg, then swapping to do the other leg.
Hip flexor stretch
Your hip flexors are your psoas, iliacus and rectus femoris muscles. When tight, they tilt your pelvis forward, making your bum stick out a bit, creating strain in your lower back. This is exacerbated by prolonged sitting. Try this:
- Stand in a split stance with one leg in front of the other, resting the knee or whole lower leg of the back leg onto the floor. You will feel a deep stretch in the front of your back leg close to the hip.
- Hold the position for about 30 seconds, keeping your torso tall, and relaxing into it as much as possible.
- Repeat with the other leg in front.
- Modification: This may be too difficult if you have poor mobility. Try a standing version instead by holding onto something – a countertop – then standing in a split stance with one leg in front of the other – wide enough so that you feel a stretch in the front of your back leg close to your hip. Put your weight into your front leg and rock forward then back, so you increase the stretch in the hip flexor of the leg at the rear.
Fingers/wrist stretch
Fingers can often swell up and become stiff if you suffer from arthritis. The key is to keep them moving. Wrists also suffer from RSI if you type a lot. Try this to keep your digits loose!
- Place the palms of your hands onto a Swiss ball with your fingers pointing in towards each other.
- Bring the ball down towards you to increase the stretch. Hold for 30 seconds.
Nolan Sunnassee is a strength and conditioning coach based in Essex. He specialises in injury rehab and mobility, with most of his clients aged 50+. Find out more at evo-fit.co.uk.
